Influence of sample temperature on the expansion dynamics and the optical emission of laser-induced plasma

•Size and emission of laser-induced plasma increase with sample temperature Ts.•Mean optical intensity of plasma is independent of Ts.•Plasma temperature and electron number density do not vary with Ts.•Major oxides in steel slag are quantified up to Ts = 450 °C.•Industrial steel slags are analyzed by calibration-free LIBS method.

We investigate the influence of sample temperature on the dynamics and optical emission of laser induced plasma for various solid materials. Bulk aluminum alloy, silicon wafer, and metallurgical slag samples are heated to temperature TS ≤ 500 °C and ablated in air by Nd:YAG laser pulses (wavelength 1064 nm, pulse duration approx. 7 ns). The plasma dynamics is investigated by fast time-resolved photography. For laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) the optical emission of plasma is measured by Echelle spectrometers in combination with intensified CCD cameras. For all sample materials the temporal evolution of plume size and broadband plasma emission vary systematically with TS. The size and brightness of expanding plumes increase at higher TS while the mean intensity remains independent of temperature. The intensity of emission lines increases with temperature for all samples. Plasma temperature and electron number density do not vary with TS. We apply the calibration-free LIBS method to determine the concentration of major oxides in slag and find good agreement to reference data up to TS = 450 °C. The LIBS analysis of multi-component materials at high temperature is of interest for technical applications, e.g. in industrial production processes.